Words and Thoughts of Joshua Scott Witsaman

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This has been a busy week for me, well I guess I should say it’s been a busy/lazy week for me. My wife has been out of town the past few days so when I haven’t been busy doing something, I’ve made sure to be busy doing nothing at all. I have sat in front of the television this week longer than I have in a very long time. I’ve taken this opportunity to rewatch some Babylon 5, perhaps the best run of the show, the third season. I’ve been alternating B5 DVDs with those of the the show Extras, starring Ricky Gervais. It’s been a nice mix of dramatic sci-fi and uncomfortable humor. All that being said I’ve been a bit lax on my blog posts this week, but fear not! As you can see of course I did not forget about the Friday Funny Pages, and I already have a few blog ideas lined up for next week and, spoiler alert, I’ve been working on the last phase of the Terrordrome Renovation project! So fear not loyal readers (reader), you’ll get your Wits fix, as I like to call it.

Anyway onto this panel from the classic Silver Age pages of the Fantastic Four. Continuing our Dr. Doom theme this week brings us one of the earliest days of the bad doctor. This of course is brought to us from the Mega Marvel Masters themselves Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. I really enjoy this panel because it encapsulates so much of Dr. Doom’s personality in one little rectangle. First off whenever Dr. Doom is looming around in an open doorway you know nothing good will come of it. Many a brave soul have met there end after laying their eyes on such a scene. Also I just really like his line here, “Did someone mention my name?”, every good villain has that line at some point and it shows how self centered they are and just how bloated their maniacal egos have become. When not planning revenge based plots, or building evil robots Dr. Doom keeps an ear out for people talking about him. Classic. I love it.

This panel comes from an issue that is full of zany goof, Fantastic Four #10, The Return of Doctor Doom. In the issue the story stops mid-way to cut to a scene of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby themselves, suffering from a bout of writer’s/artist’s block. In a very meta-before-there-was-meta, style the two comic book creators are feeling somewhat at a lose chronicling the adventures of the Fantastic Four because several issues back Dr. Doom seemingly was launched into space and lost to the infinite void. Recognizing Doom’s grand style of villainy Lee and Kirby feel there’s nothing exciting left for the FF to undertake and doubtlessly worry about sales dropping as the Fantastic Four fall into a peaceful life free of Dr. Doom.

“Too bad that Doctor Doom was lost in space!” Says Stan ‘the Man.’ “He was possibly the greatest villain of all!”

Next to Stan Lee Jack Kirby ruefully sits at his drawing table, his face buried in his palms.

“Yeah!” Kirby adds. “We sure can’t come up with a menace like him everyday!”

And then, it happened!

That of course leads to Doom’s appearance. Dr. Doom, under threat of death, forces Stan Lee to call Mr. Fantastic on the phone and ask him to come over to their studio to supposedly work out some plot details for an upcoming issue. Of course when Reed Richards arrives, Dr. Doom is waiting for him with a gas gun of some kind and the whole plot of the issue takes off again. Long story short Dr. Doom somehow joins the FF and Mr. Fantastic is the villain of the issue. But what I really like about this issue is that within the universe, of the Marvel Universe Stan Lee and Jack Kirby are big enough properties that Dr. Doom would think to work them into his plans and Mr. Fantastic apparently drops whatever he’s working on to come over when they call. Those guys are big shots!

Anyway, I need some coffee and a few more episodes of Babylon 5!

That is all!

Here's a little bonus for you, from the first appearance of Lee and Kirby! This issue is worth a fortune! A fortune I tells ya!